Filament support



Dec. 11, 1934. w. -w. EITEL ET AL FILAMENT SUPPORT Filed Dec. ll, 1933 1INVENTORS.

W/LL/AMWE/TEL. B JACK cCULLOUGH.

ATTORNEY 55 invention is illustrated asbeing incorporated in v PatentedDec. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES FILAMENT SUPPORT William w. Eitel and JackMcCullough, 'San Bruno, Calif., assignors to Heintz & Kaufman,

Ltd., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of vada Application December,11, 1933, Serial No. 701,157

5Claims.

Our invention relates to the support offilaments in lamps and likedevices.

One of the objects of our invention is the provision of a unitarystructure for the support of multiple filaments.

A further object of our invention. is to pro- .vide improved means forsupporting filaments operated in parallel. 7

Another object of our invention is the provision of a filament supportwhich is easily as-,

of the invention herein described, as various forms may be adoptedwithin the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a lamp embodying our invention.Portions are omitted to shorten the view and portions are, broken awayto disclose the interior construction.

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the doubled filament support beforeforming.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the filament support after forming. 1

The device of our invention is adapted for use in lamps, thermionicdevices and the like which are provided with hairpin type filaments,operated in parallel, and a standard placed adjacent the filament. Itcomprises, broadly, a ferrule, preferably constructed of wire,'which isadapted to be slidably secured on the standard and is provided-with armswhich have means thereon for engaging'the bights of the filaments.

In the art of lamp manufacture, the need has been felt for a sturdy, yeteasily constructed and applied, filament support. e supports in presentuse are, for the most part, delicate and difllcult to construct andhence provide an impediment to the eificient production of thesedevices. We have provided a support which is simple, rugged and easytoconstruct and, by means of which, the manufacturing time on lamps andlike devices is materially reduced.

In greater detail, referring to Figure 1, .0111

a lamp comprising an envelope 2 provided with the usual stem 3. Acentral metallic stahdard 4 is provided, suitably secured in the pinch"of the stem, and located, preferably, between the filament leads 6similarly secured in'the stem.

The filaments 7 are of the hairpin type and are shown as being connectedto the leads 6 through the medium of U shaped bars 8. The filaments are,preferably, connected in parallel. It will be understood that we do notlimit ourselves to this particular construction as a wide variety ofarrangements for the filaments may be employed. I

The filament support, generally indicated by the numeral 9 of Figure 1,is best illustratedv in detail in Figures 2 and 3. A piece of wire, ofsuitable length, is bent toprovide a double rod 11 having a joined orlooped end 12 and an open end 13. Hooks 14 are formed at the free end ofthe wires. 1

The rod 11, starting at the looped end 12, is wound on a mandrel, ofsuitable diametento provide a ferrule 16 which is slidable on thestandard 4. The free ends of the wire are led out tangentially, and inopposite directions, from the ferrule and are bent back at 17 to provideresilient arms 18. In their final position the hooks 14 liesubstantially diametrically opposite each other.

The support is now ready for assembly. The ferrule '16 is placed on thestandard 4 and the bights 19, of the filaments,.are disposed in thehooks 14. The ferrule is now moved upwardly,

to properly tension the filaments, and secured in position, preferablyby means of welding, as

It has been found that, by using the filament support of our invention,the production time on lamps and vacuum tubes has been reducedconsiderably due to the ease with which it is assembled into thesedevices and the fact that the operator has but a single piece to handle.Since, due to the parallel arrangement of the filaments, there is nodiiference of potential between the bight thereof, the use of aconducting support does not affect their operation. 1

We claim:

1. In an envelope containing a pair of hairpin shaped filaments and astandard disposed adjacent the filament, a filament support comprising apair of parallel wires joined 'at one end and having a portion thereofincluding the joined ends coiled about the standard, and means at thefree ends thereof for engaging the bights of the filaments.

2. In 'an envelope containing 'a pair of hairpin shaped filaments and astandard disposed adjacent the filament, a filament support comprising apair of parallel wires joined at one end and having a portion thereofincluding the joined ends coiled about the standard, the free endsthereof extending from said coiled portion to provide arms, and means onthe arms for engaging the bights or the filaments.

3. In an envelope containing a pair of hairpin shaped filaments and astandard disposed adjacent the filament, a filament support comprising apair of parallel wires joined at one end and having a portion thereofincluding the joined ends coiled about the standard, to provide aterrule slidable thereon, the free ends of said wires extending from theferrule portion to provide resilient arms, and having hooks formedthereon for engaging the bights of the filaments.

4. The method of supporting filaments in an envelope containing ahairpin shaped pair ofsaid filaments and a standard disposed adjacentwas es the filaments, which comprises bending a length of wire to doubleit, closely winding that portion.

of the doubled wire adjacent the bend about the standard, and providingthe free ends of the wire with means for engaging the .bights of thefilaments. v

5. The method of supporting filaments in an envelope containing -ahairpin shaped pair of said filaments and a standard disposed adjacentthe filaments, which comprises bending a length of wire to double it,-closely winding that portion or the doubled wire adjacent the bend aboutthe standard, to provide a ferrule slidable thereon. bending the freeends of the wire outwardly to provide resilient arms, 'iorming hooks atthe ends of the arms to engage the bights of the filaments, sliding theferrule-on the standard to obtain suitable tension in the springs, andwelding the ferrule to the standard.

WILLIAM W. EITEL. JACK MCC'ULLOUGH.

